


Warm Traditions

by elliemoran



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Birthday Fluff, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Shopping, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, New Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-25 00:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22006663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elliemoran/pseuds/elliemoran
Summary: It's Levi and Eren's first Christmas Eve together, and for some reason Eren seems to think they need to start making some new traditions together.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 6
Kudos: 85





	Warm Traditions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hitori10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hitori10/gifts).



As Levi pushed his way through the throngs of people filling the street, all too busy gawking up at the tacky lights over their heads to pay attention to where they walked or what they did with the bulky shopping bags they all seemed to be carrying, he thought longingly of his quiet, warm living room, his comfortable couch, the new book he’d picked up that morning. He wondered, most definitely not for the first time that evening, what in _hell_ he was doing here.

And then the crowd in front of him parted, and he saw his reason.

Eren Jeager had tumbled into Levi’s life a little more than a year ago, when he’d gotten a job at the café attached to the museum where Levi worked. Levi had taken one good, hard look, and then spent the next few months doing his best to pretend he hadn’t fallen instantly in lust.

It hadn’t worked. In fact, it had worked so badly that Eren had been living with him for almost three weeks now.

Levi’s organized, structured, _predictable_ life had been shattered. He’d gone to more dinners, parties, spent more time out with friends over the last six months than he had in the whole decade before. Suddenly, he shared his bed, his shower, his kitchen cupboards, even his comfortable couch. Someone else’s clothes hung in his closet, sat in his dresser. Another man shaved into his bathroom sink in the mornings, and two toothbrushes sat in the little jar they’d picked out together. They’d even been talking about going to the shelter, picking up a dog.

Maybe two.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, Levi had fallen in love with the asshole, and nothing would ever be the same. 

Brown hair a little messy from the wind, eyes bright, glittering, and with a gigantic grin spread across his face, the love of Levi’s life laughed at him as he reached out to grab his hand. “There you are! Don’t get lost, we’ll never find each other again in this crowd.”

An elbow jabbed Levi in the back, knocking him forward a step. With a hiss, he leaned in towards Eren’s ear, almost shouting to be heard over the crowd, the traffic, and the obnoxiously cheerful music piped in over it all. “Why are we here, again?”

“Because it’s Christmas Eve, Levi.”

“I know it is. That’s why half the city is out here with us. But why are _we_ here?”

Laughing, shaking his head, Eren kept pulling Levi through the throngs of people. “Because it’s the holidays, and we can’t just stay home and do nothing. Come on, let’s go look at the lights in the park.”

“I like staying home and doing nothing.” Levi thought longingly of the box of tea he’d bought that morning, sitting sealed and unused on his kitchen counter. He hunched his shoulders. “It’s too damn cold to be outside, anyway.”

“Bitch, bitch, bitch.” With another laugh, Eren tugged Levi out of the flow of people, pulling him into a little empty pocket at the side of the sidewalk. He slid his arms around Levi’s waist, made round and puffy by his thick coat. “Come on, this’ll be fun. Haven’t you ever gone to see the pretty lights for the holidays?”

Levi snorted, though, since it _was_ cold, after all, he snuggled in a little closer, raising his own arms to slip his hands beneath Eren’s warm scarf and anchor them behind his neck. “Why would I?”

“Then what do you usually do on Christmas Eve?”

“I stay home, alone. Out of the cold and the insanity.”

“Well, this is our first Christmas together, so alone is out.” And then, for the first time since he’d dragged Levi out of their apartment earlier that evening, the bright happiness on Eren’s face faded. “Unless you really don’t want to?”

“No, I-”

“I mean, I know we haven’t really been living together for all that long. Maybe I’m being too pushy.” Eren bit his lip, his voice a little uncertain when he continued, “I thought we could make some new traditions, just the two of us. But maybe you’d rather do your own thing?” 

“I didn’t say that. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“You don’t hate it? You’ll try and have fun?” Eren’s eyes were anxious as they studied Levi’s expression.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s go look at the damn lights.”

The sad look on Eren’s face evaporated at light speed, replaced by such a wide, beaming smile that Levi felt suspicion bloom in his soul. He narrowed his eyes. “You were _faking_ it?”

Eren blinked innocently. “Faking what?”

“You’re such a sneaky asshole.”

“Now why would you say something so hurtful.” Eren leaned down, bopped a kiss onto the tip of Levi’s nose. “Coming?”

“That won’t work forever, you know. One of these days you’ll try those puppy dog eyes on me and I’ll just _laugh_.” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Weaving his arm through Levi’s, Eren tugged him back into the flow of bodies moving along the pavement. “But if I did, I’d say that sounds like fun. I like it when I make you laugh.”

“Not this time, you won’t.”

“No?” Eren shot a mischievous grin down at Levi. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

It took them a few minutes to weave their way out from the crowd when they reached the park, but once they finally broke free, they found the park itself easier to move through than the sidewalk they’d left behind. There was a fair of some kind set up, and couples and small groups of people wandered between the booths that lined the paths and across the wide greens scattered with trees and strange wire frame creatures, all cheerfully lit with bright multi-colored lights. 

And over it all, that ubiquitous and tinny music continued to gleefully bounce through the air.

Levi smelled roasted nuts, apple cider, and hot chocolate. He wondered, just for a moment, if the cheap food stall hot chocolate might possibly taste as good as it smelled. 

“Oh, look!” Eren darted forward, dragging Levi with him towards one of the booths. He pushed through the thick press of bodies of other fairgoers browsing tables heaped high with glittery and sparkly decorations, heading straight for a well tossed over display of hats, headgear, elf ears, and Santa beards.

He grabbed one of the headbands and slipped it onto his head, before turning to smile angelically at Levi. “What do you think? Suits me, right?” 

A tinsel halo, held up by thin wire, hovered a few inches above Eren’s head. “They got any devil horns?”

Eren rolled his eyes, unoffended. “They wouldn’t, it’s all Christmas stuff. What about these?” He swapped the halo for a pair of felt reindeer antlers.

He looked so damned adorable, with his flushed cheeks and wind-tossed hair sticking out in all directions. Levi’s fingers itched to stroke it back, off his forehead, so he shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “They’re alright.”

Paying no attention, Eren picked up a fuzzy Santa hat, plopped it onto Levi’s head. He nodded firmly. “Now that works almost _too_ well.”

It slid down over Levi’s eye, and he pushed it back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Hmm, well.” Eren tilted his head, even as he reached out to adjust the hat’s position, his fingertips cold as they brushed against Levi’s skin. “I can’t really explain. It somehow suits you, though I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I know how warm and gooey you really are under that suspicious glare you always watch me with.”

Offended, Levi jerked his head back. “I am not _gooey_.”

Eren’s eyes were laughing, but direct, when they met Levi’s. “I think you are, though. And I like the hat on you.” He stepped in a little closer, dropping his voice. “I think you look sexy in it.”

“How the hell is it sexy? It’s a Santa hat.”

“Yeah, but you’re wearing it.” Eren grinned at the look on Levi’s face. “Still, if you don’t like it-” He reached out to pull it off of Levi’s head.

Almost before Levi realized what he was doing, his hands slapped over the hat, holding it in place. “Leave it. It’s warm. Plus, if I’m Santa, and you’re one of my reindeer, doesn’t than mean you have to do what I tell you?”

Eren blinked, but the corners of his mouth were curved as he studied Levi. “And what are you planning on having me do?” 

They were already standing directly in front of each other, but Levi took another half step forward, until he could stand on tiptoe, brace his hand against Eren’s chest, and breathe into his ear. “You can start by giving Santa a good, hard ride, later tonight.”

He’d said it expecting Eren to laugh, or at least roll his eyes. Instead, when he stepped back and looked expectantly up at Eren, he found a very, very strange expression on his face.

When Eren spoke, his words were slow, careful, and his eyes were locked on the Santa hat Levi wore. “I’m not sure what’s worse, the picture you just put in my head, or the fact that I’m a little turned on right now.”

It took Levi a second. He jerked back a little, staring up at Eren with wide eyes. “Oh hell no. I didn’t paint that picture, you did that all by yourself.”

“You started it. I was just being a good little angel.” 

“Uh-huh. Pervert.” Levi yanked the Santa hat off, turning away to drop it back onto the display.

“Well, maybe, a little. You still started it.” And then Eren let out a yelp that made Levi jump, spin back around. He found Eren crouching down and rummaging through the pile of merchandise that had fallen onto the floor beneath the display. “No way! How’d this get here?” He snatched out his prize, a cheap plastic crown with the words ‘Birthday Boy’ printed across the front.

He stood back up, setting it carefully on Levi’s head, then pulled away to study it. “Perfect.”

Levi hunched his shoulders. “It’s not as warm as the Santa hat.”

A wicked grin spread over Eren’s face. “Yeah, but the birthday boy is a lot more likely to actually get laid.”

“Oh well then.” Startled, Levi laughed. “I’ll take this one then.”

Eren leaned back, smiling down at him with an odd look in his eye.

“What?”

“I told you, I just really love it when you laugh.”

Levi blinked, a little embarrassed. “That wasn’t the type of laugh I was threatening you with.”

“No, but I like them all. Happy Birthday, Levi.”

“It’s not my birthday yet.”

“I just wanted to be the first to say it. I’ll tell you again, in a few hours. In any case, I love you, Levi. Happy Birthday.”

Levi flushed, shifted, feeling both warmth and embarrassment filling his chest. “Yeah. I um, love you too.”

Eren’s lips curved. “Do you think, one day, you won’t be embarrassed when you tell me that?”

“Maybe. Don’t know.” Desperate to change the subject, Levi frantically looked around the booth. “Where the hell do we pay for these things, anyway?”

When they finally left the booth – proud owners of one plastic birthday crown and one pair of antlers – Eren slid his arm around Levi’s shoulders, and after a quick inner battle, Levi nestled in against his side.

As they moved on through the booths, along the brightly lit paths, he realized that at some point he’d stopped minding all the people around them, and when he glanced up at the lights sparkling over their heads, he found them remarkably pretty. Even the ever-present music, as tacky as it was, somehow didn’t seem to be all that annoying anymore.

Despite the bitter cold, he felt warm. 

And as he walked through the lights beside Eren, Levi decided that he liked this new tradition of theirs, after all.


End file.
